"This play is not about my mother and me," begins the character of Lisa. But, of course, it is about her mother, and her mother's extraordinary ability to heal a changing neighborhood despite her inability to heal herself. In this "solo show with people in it," Kron asks the provocative question: "Do we create our own illness?" The answers she gets are much more complicated than she bargained for as the play spins dangerously out of control into riotously funny and unexpected territory.

"Her richest achievement..... a deeply affecting play."
-Ben Brantley, New York Times. 

Meet The Cast

Septermber 29th | October 22nd
MAINSTAGETheatre

Lara Mielcarek* (Lisa Kron) is thrilled to make her Ensemble debut! She has performed down the street at Dobama Theatre in several productions, most notably OR (2015), for which she was recognized with a Cleveland Critic's Choice award. Lara is a core company member at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival where she has performed over a dozen of Shakespeare's leading ladies. Other favorite past roles include; Kate in Seminar (Beck Center for the Arts), Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (True North), and Josie Hogan in Moon for the Misbegotten (Coach House). She was also recently seen in the film, The Bye Bye Man! Lara is an adjunct instructor at Cleveland State and runs a "Shakespeare Behind Bars" program called ARC (Artists' Rehabilitation Coalition) out of the women's penitentiary in Cleveland. A grateful Equity Member since 2010, she holds a Masters in Acting from Penn State and a BFA from Kent State. This play is easily dedicated to memory of her own mom, Mary, and Mary's beloved couch, which she left reluctantly and infrequently:) Love you, mama... Bye for now.
*Denotes Member of Actor's Equity Association, the Union of Actors and Stage Managers in The United States.   

Laura Starnik (Ann Kron) last appeared at Ensemble in Prelude To a Kiss and is so happy to return for this wonderful play and creative team. Recent credits include The Miracle Worker at Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival, You Can’t Take it With You at Karamu, All The Way at Cleveland Play House and Lady Windermere’s Fan at Mamai Theatre Company. She has also enjoyed working at Blank Canvas Theatre, Clague Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, convergence-continuum, Dobama, none too fragile and Weathervane Playhouse. See her next at Dobama in Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars.

ANEEDHAM.JPG

April Needham (Ensemble A: Joy, Dottie, Herself) This is April Needham's first time performing at Ensemble Theatre. She is beyond excited to be playing the roles of Joy, Dottie, and herself in Lisa Kron's play Well. Her most recent production was the role of Penny Sycamore in You Can't Take It With You at Cassidy Theatre. She has been a local actor in the Cleveland area for several years now, and has performed in many theatres around town. Her next production will be in Caucasian Chalk Circle with Shahrazad Theatre Company in the Fall. 

 

Maya Jones (Ensemble B: Lori Jones, Kay, Mrs. Price, Cynthia, Herself) has her BA in Theatre Arts from Allegheny College. Her most recent Cleveland credits include You Can't Take It With You at Karamu House and An Octoroon at Dobama. She is excited to be apart of this cast as her first Ensemble experience!! 

Brian Kenneth Armour (Ensemble C: Jim Richardson, Nurse 2, Litte Oscar, Big Oscar, Himself) is thrilled to be making his Ensemble Theater debut. He has been seen on stage in The Whipping Man, Pure Shock Value,  Bash, Topdog/Underdog, Nerve, and A Behanding in Spokane at None Too Fragile Theater. Brian has also been seen in Race and A Raisin in the Sun at Weathervane Playhouse. He is the Technical Director for None Too Fragile Theater. The Cleveland Jewish News named him Best Director for a Non-Musical for his part in co-directing Sans Merci in 2016, and Times Theater Tributes noted him for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Non-Musical for his performance in Topdog/Underdog in 2015. As in every performance, he would like to thank his mother for her continued unwavering love and support. He’d like to thank Sean Derry and his chosen family for “all of the things”. And lastly, he’d like to thank you, the audience for sharing in the story. Without the audience, there is no theater. 

Craig Joseph (Ensemble D: Howard Norris, Head Nurse, Himself) is excited to be making his acting debut with Ensemble Theatre this season in both Well and Angels in America. A native of Canton, Ohio, Craig has been making theater since age 5 in the backyard all the way through a Masters in Directing at Northwestern University to a professional acting / directing career in Chicago, Minneapolis, and now back home again. His most recent credits include The Christians, Chesapeake, The Flick, Bus Stop, Side by Side by Sondheim, Good People, and Assassins. By day, Craig is the Creative Director for a branding agency called Cassel Bear, and serves as the Artistic Director for Seat of the Pants Productions. He's grateful to his family for helping provide transportation and dog care that make Cleveland gigs possible, and is thankful to each of you for supporting live theatre.

Meet the Crew

Becca Moseley Production Stage Manager | Celeste Cosentino Executive Artistic Director/Director
Walter Boswell Set Design | Bryanna Bauman Lighting Design | Celeste Cosentino/Becca Moseley Sound Design
Meg Parish Costumes | Stephen Vasse-Hansell Technical Director | August Scarpelli Carpenter